Friday, December 07, 2012

Public schools, especially those that serve a
disproportionate percentage of low-income students of color, are confronted by
a number of constraints that make the job of educating children, well,
difficult. These constraints include, but are not limited to:

•The political—particularly
those created by the NCLB related to the inappropriate and excessive reliance
on high-stakes assessments to judge students, teachers, and schools. This often
leads to a narrowing of the focus of the curriculum, and a narrow focus on
achievement without sufficient attention to academic performance and child
development;

•The economic—caused
by the shortage of resources (especially in poor communities) that compel
schools to do more with less. The financial pressures experienced by low-income
families also make it difficult for them to provide the support children need;
and

•The social—which might include
everything from concerns about safety, nutrition, health, crime, drugs, and a
lack of parental guidance and support.

I describe these as
constraints because I reject the "no excuses" position typically
offered by the group I called the naïve optimists.

They would have us believe
that good teaching alone can make it possible for schools to overcome these
challenges. I also don't want to treat them as insurmountable obstacles as some
of those I described as radical pessimists might be inclined to do. I want to
make it clear that while these constraints are formidable, it is still possible
to find ways to respond to student needs and create schools that serve children
well.

To illustrate what I mean,
let me describe the case of Brockton High School in Massachusetts. Brockton has
received considerable attention because, despite its many challenges, it is
still a high-performing school.

With slightly more than
4,100 students, Brockton High is the largest school in the state. Brockton is a
diverse high school and over 75 percent of its students qualify for free or
reduced-price lunch.

Despite a demographic
composition that would typically be associated with a struggling school,
Brockton High performs better than 90 percent of the schools in the state. In
fact, it is one of only three urban high school in the state to have been
recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Education as a Level 1 school
based on its student performance.

Ten years ago, only a quarter of Brockton's students passed the
state exam (MCAS) and one in three dropped out before
graduation. In 2002, a group of veteran teachers came together and decided that
the only way the school could succeed in meeting the state's rigorous academic
standards was if the faculty focused on literacy. Rather than relying on test
preparation like many other high schools in the state, teachers at Brockton
recognized that with so many of their students entering high school reading at
an elementary level they would have to adopt an intensive focus on literacy in
all content areas.

With the support of the school's principal, Susan
Szachowicz, teachers began training their colleagues in how to teach literacy.
They carried out this training before school, after school, during preparation
periods, and on weekends. Though some teachers resisted the push to participate
in the training for which they were not compensated, gradually they came on
board. According to a report published by the Achievement Gap Institute at
Harvard titled "How High Schools Become Exemplary,"
the school is now one of the few in the nation where disparities based on race
and class are closing.

In June of 2012, 264 of the graduates, one third of
the senior class, qualified for the state's Adams scholarship, guaranteeing
four years of funding to any public university in Massachusetts based on
students' academic performance. Of these students, one-third were
African-American, the other third Latino, and the other third low-income white
students. It's also noteworthy that a news story on the school indicates that
six people were arrested for fighting at the graduation, a pointed reminder
that although the school is making extraordinary progress, there are still
significant challenges.

I cite the example of Brockton High School, and I
will cite others in the next few weeks, because educators need to learn from
schools like these. Such schools are showing us that it is possible to meet the
needs of students, including low-income students of color, despite the
significant constraints they face. Schools like Brockton devise strategies
based on the needs of their students, then organize themselves to meet them.
They don't make excuses or blame their students. Instead, they have an internal
sense of accountability, a coherent strategy that they stick to, and an
enormous degree of buy-in from staff and students.

This month, Principal Szachowicz announced that she
would be retiring. She is an extraordinary leader and there will be great
sadness about her departure, but no one fears that the school will begin to
decline. Sue has worked hard to develop leadership throughout the school, and
there is little doubt that the progress will be sustained.

By focusing on schools like this and learning from
their success I believe we can move beyond the polarized debate and shed light
on what is possible. What do you think about that?